"Borderline" is a term which I think we can all see is outdated. It began as a noun, so "Borderline Personality Disorder" actually makes no sense, and it is therefore open to mockery. Other names have been proposed. "Erratic Personality Disorder" crops up from time to time, but I think it does a disservice to its sufferers, who feel tremendous amounts of emotional pain. To reflect this, and to hopefully avoid negative perceptions of BPD sufferers, we should change the name to "Fragmented Personality Disorder". It sounds melancholy, which I think is an effective overall statement to describe the sensation of having the condition.

I personally don't feel keen to the term "fragmented" it makes me feel that there is something wrong with me. Fragmented is defined as:

To break or cause to break into fragments

Fragments being small pieces.

so what we would be saying here is that our personality is broken into small pieces? I don't like the feeling that my personality is "broken" and I certainly wouldn't want a label which is telling me that it is.

I am not too sure about the term fragmented either...it sounds like we are broken...

I know that my doctors here where I live are not using the term borderline personality disorder anymore. They have been using the term emotional dysregulation disorder..I feel this term speaks to what we suffer with but in a compassionate way. This is just my thought!

Watch your thoughts, for they become words.Watch your words, for they become actions.Watch your actions, for they become habits.Watch your habits, for they become character.Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.- Anonymous

In the ICD-10 system (or something, I might be wrong), it's called Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder. I've never had a problem with the Borderline-term, but that's probably because no one I've talked to IRL has any idea of what it is. They usually just think it sounds funny. But I think "Emotionally Unstable" says more about it than "Borderline", though.

bpd77 wrote:I am not too sure about the term fragmented either...it sounds like we are broken...

I know that my doctors here where I live are not using the term borderline personality disorder anymore. They have been using the term emotional dysregulation disorder..I feel this term speaks to what we suffer with but in a compassionate way. This is just my thought!

I second this. It wouldn't make it seem like we're just about to go insane. We're usually just thrashed around by our emotions, not all of us are at the borderline of falling into madness of no return.

The only mockery I've heard about BPD is from those who have never heard the phrase before. The worst I've gotten was "does that mean you grew up near Mexico?" The funny part of it is that I'm Canadian and grew up near the Northern US border, not the Southern US border, but everyone, even people here in Canada, immediately reference the Mexican border. Go figure.

The term Borderline was originally meant as the borderline between a psychosis and a neurosis. We were hard to categorize, so we were on the border. If you look at how many professionals misdiagnose us or are reluctant to declare a diagnosis of BPD at all, really, nothing has changed. We've always been the wildcard. It's in our nature.

I also have to echo the sentiment of the others, regarding Fragmented PD. By its definition, it states that I'm broken. I know I'm broken; I have enough reminders of that in my life already, I don't need a label to constantly add to that. At least the term Borderline offers a little mystery - I'd rather stick with that.

JohnnyBlaze wrote:The only mockery I've heard about BPD is from those who have never heard the phrase before. The worst I've gotten was "does that mean you grew up near Mexico?" The funny part of it is that I'm Canadian and grew up near the Northern US border, not the Southern US border, but everyone, even people here in Canada, immediately reference the Mexican border. Go figure.

Oh my god that is hilarious! I am still laughing! I am from Canada too! I have never gotten that before! I did have someone in Dallas once ask my why I had monopoly money in my wallet HAHAHAHA!

Watch your thoughts, for they become words.Watch your words, for they become actions.Watch your actions, for they become habits.Watch your habits, for they become character.Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.- Anonymous

JohnnyBlaze wrote:The only mockery I've heard about BPD is from those who have never heard the phrase before. The worst I've gotten was "does that mean you grew up near Mexico?" The funny part of it is that I'm Canadian and grew up near the Northern US border, not the Southern US border, but everyone, even people here in Canada, immediately reference the Mexican border. Go figure.

Oh my god that is hilarious! I am still laughing! I am from Canada too! I have never gotten that before! I did have someone in Dallas once ask my why I had monopoly money in my wallet HAHAHAHA!

I never figured it out. I have lived near Buffalo all my life, I'm as pasty white as they come, and my name is as wasp as it gets, but somehow, as soon as people hear "Borderline", they assume I'm part Mexican.

And I know what you mean about the funny money. I remember when we got the Toonie. I worked in a restaurant at the time, and we had Americans coming across all the time (we were only about 20 minutes from the border). They'd leave 8 toonies at lunch, thinking they were only leaving $2 in quarters. That was a good summer!

A friend of mine (appropriately nicknamed "Crazy") went down to Texas a few years ago to visit his daughter and son-in-law in the middle of summer. He left the snow tires on the truck, put the skis on the rack and off he went. He had people convinced that we always leave snow tires on, and that they drive slow there. Hell, we do 40...in a school zone! (He didn't tell them that it was in kilometers). But boy, he had 'em convinced we were all crazy up here!

We now return you to your regularly scheduled thread, already in progress...

bittersweetx3 wrote:I vote for Emotional Dysregulation Disorder

My original suggestion was rejected. I wanted it called the IThinkILoveYouWaitWhereTheHellAreYouGoingYoureLeavingMeButWeJustMetFineAbandonMeLike-EveroneElseDoesTHAT'SITIF***INGHATEYOUPleaseDon'tLeaveMe Disorder.

According to the APA, it was rejected because the abbreviation wouldn't work. I don't think they were telling me the whole truth.